Avengers assemble!
I finally got to see Avengers: Infinity War. I swear, it felt like the movie came out ages ago and it took me forever to get to a theatre. I guess it only felt that way because everyone was talking about it and I absolutely did not want to get spoiled ahead of time. So, was all of the hype worth it?
I wouldn't say it's the best Marvel movie ever, but it was certainly enjoyable. It's a packed movie, though, with so much set-up and I think that's part of the problem. There are so many things going on that it's hard to find a focal point. I suppose you could say Thanos is the main focus, but when it comes to heroes, they are literally all over the place. Poor Thor; I swear they abandon his storyline for like a good hour. So that would be my only complaint, but all of the set-up is inevitable when the movie is two parts. Though, I never felt like the movie was too long, because every time they came back to a certain plot thread, there was always something interesting to see.
Case point: team-ups! Thor and the Guardians. Iron Man and Spider-Man and Doctor Strange. Black Panther and pretty much the rest of the cast. Different characters meeting up is my favourite thing about crossovers. You get fun new scenarios that you never would have expected. Like, Star Lord being jealous of Thor. I never thought of Peter as being insecure, but I guess he's used to being the best looking guy in the room and then suddenly, here's a literal god with giant arms and a smooth accent diverting everyone's attention. When they described Thor as a cross between a pirate and an angel, I just laughed. Black Widow and Okoye fighting against Thanos' lady goon was also a team-up I had never even considered, but it totally worked. Even Tony and Stephen meeting was interesting because they kind of come from the same place; arrogant guys who were humbled and found a new life in the process. Of course, they clash because they both think they are the smartest guy in the room. The movie definitely delivers on being an epic mash up of 10 years of Marvel movies.
Of course, once you bring everyone together, you have to tear them down. All of the chatter going into the movie was about who might die in the movie. Who would have thought that the majority of the cast would bite the dust. Thing is, though, you know these deaths won't be permanent. New favourites like Spider-Man and Black Panther have sequels on the way and they can't be dead for those, so you just know the second movie will find a way to reverse everything. This is my only other gripe. This is when the movies are too much like the comics, since comic books are notorious for killing off characters and then suddenly bringing them back. Now, the deaths in the second movie, those are the ones you'll have to worry about, since most of the Avengers have completed their movie contracts. People like Thor and Captain America are not obligated to come back after Avengers 4. You know there's going to be at least one major death, because there has to be a cost for a hard earned victory.
Please god, don't let the solution be time travel. That is a cheap and shoddy solution. Also, time travel has really only been explored in Doctor Strange and I feel like it shouldn't bleed over into the other movies.
But anyway, let's talk about the post-credit scene. I literally squeed when the Hala Star came up on the screen of Fury's pager. Captain Marvel!!! I didn't think they would tease her so early, but it makes sense. Carol's movie will be released before Avengers 4, so you have to sow the seeds. Also, who else could Fury call? All of the Avengers are on Earth. I can't wait to see what the story is behind the pager. Why is Carol away from Earth? Did Fury promise to call Carol only when it was a major serious issue? I know they said younger versions of Fury and Coulson will be in Captain Marvel, but I hope they have a young Rhodey in there, too. Both Carol and Rhodey are Air Force, so there is a slight chance they might have met. In the comics, they were in a relationship before, well, shit happened in Civil War II.
Random thoughts: Thor speaks Groot. Apparently it's an elective language at Asgardian school. :-D I also giggled when Steve answered with a very serious "I am Steve Rogers" upon meeting Groot. Oh, Steve. Oh, and Thor and Steve commenting about hair cuts and beards was also quite cute. Team banter, even in a massive battle, it always the best. So Clint and Scott are under house arrest. That makes sense for Scott, since his movie is next and it can't be set after this movie, so he needs to have a legit reason for being elsewhere during the fighting. But you know Clint is going to show up in the next movie. Jeremy Renner said he was in the movie. I mean, the man broke or fractured both of his arms while filming. That wouldn't happen if he was doing a little cameo. I continue to love Stephen's Cloak of Levitation. It's like a puppy dog that follows him around and has his best interests at heart. I actually gasped when it seemed like Thanos had ripped it. Speaking of best friends, Ned's distraction on the bus was the best. It's so great that Peter has someone who has his back. I'm a little bummed that Peter didn't get to fight with the other Avengers. Did anyone else think that Benedict Cumberbatch's American accent sounded a little better this time around? It didn't grate on my nerves like last time. They also did a tad more with his magic powers. Like, he and Wong use the magic portals a bit more and there's that trippy moment when Stephen splits into multiple Doctor Stranges. More power combos would have been nice. I don't think we really got those. I got the feeling that Sam and Rhodey are good friends, even though they barely shared in screen time in Captain America: Civil War. I guess it would stem from the fact that they both have flight backgrounds. I was surprised to see Peter Dinklage in the movie. They didn't hype his appearance beforehand, but I guess they would want to keep a few things as a surprise. Also a surprise: Red Skull. It's so cool that they picked up a dangling thread from the first Captain America movie. I always thought that he didn't die, that he just got teleported to one of the nine realms. Hey, are they going to show Tony and Pepper's wedding in the next movie? That would be a fun thing to end on. Unless Tony ends up dying for good. Damn, I wouldn't put it past them.
Man, there's so much to absorb and unpack with this movie. No wonder people are seeing it multiple times. I think I will have to go again just to catch all of the things I missed the first time.
I wouldn't say it's the best Marvel movie ever, but it was certainly enjoyable. It's a packed movie, though, with so much set-up and I think that's part of the problem. There are so many things going on that it's hard to find a focal point. I suppose you could say Thanos is the main focus, but when it comes to heroes, they are literally all over the place. Poor Thor; I swear they abandon his storyline for like a good hour. So that would be my only complaint, but all of the set-up is inevitable when the movie is two parts. Though, I never felt like the movie was too long, because every time they came back to a certain plot thread, there was always something interesting to see.
Case point: team-ups! Thor and the Guardians. Iron Man and Spider-Man and Doctor Strange. Black Panther and pretty much the rest of the cast. Different characters meeting up is my favourite thing about crossovers. You get fun new scenarios that you never would have expected. Like, Star Lord being jealous of Thor. I never thought of Peter as being insecure, but I guess he's used to being the best looking guy in the room and then suddenly, here's a literal god with giant arms and a smooth accent diverting everyone's attention. When they described Thor as a cross between a pirate and an angel, I just laughed. Black Widow and Okoye fighting against Thanos' lady goon was also a team-up I had never even considered, but it totally worked. Even Tony and Stephen meeting was interesting because they kind of come from the same place; arrogant guys who were humbled and found a new life in the process. Of course, they clash because they both think they are the smartest guy in the room. The movie definitely delivers on being an epic mash up of 10 years of Marvel movies.
Of course, once you bring everyone together, you have to tear them down. All of the chatter going into the movie was about who might die in the movie. Who would have thought that the majority of the cast would bite the dust. Thing is, though, you know these deaths won't be permanent. New favourites like Spider-Man and Black Panther have sequels on the way and they can't be dead for those, so you just know the second movie will find a way to reverse everything. This is my only other gripe. This is when the movies are too much like the comics, since comic books are notorious for killing off characters and then suddenly bringing them back. Now, the deaths in the second movie, those are the ones you'll have to worry about, since most of the Avengers have completed their movie contracts. People like Thor and Captain America are not obligated to come back after Avengers 4. You know there's going to be at least one major death, because there has to be a cost for a hard earned victory.
Please god, don't let the solution be time travel. That is a cheap and shoddy solution. Also, time travel has really only been explored in Doctor Strange and I feel like it shouldn't bleed over into the other movies.
But anyway, let's talk about the post-credit scene. I literally squeed when the Hala Star came up on the screen of Fury's pager. Captain Marvel!!! I didn't think they would tease her so early, but it makes sense. Carol's movie will be released before Avengers 4, so you have to sow the seeds. Also, who else could Fury call? All of the Avengers are on Earth. I can't wait to see what the story is behind the pager. Why is Carol away from Earth? Did Fury promise to call Carol only when it was a major serious issue? I know they said younger versions of Fury and Coulson will be in Captain Marvel, but I hope they have a young Rhodey in there, too. Both Carol and Rhodey are Air Force, so there is a slight chance they might have met. In the comics, they were in a relationship before, well, shit happened in Civil War II.
Random thoughts: Thor speaks Groot. Apparently it's an elective language at Asgardian school. :-D I also giggled when Steve answered with a very serious "I am Steve Rogers" upon meeting Groot. Oh, Steve. Oh, and Thor and Steve commenting about hair cuts and beards was also quite cute. Team banter, even in a massive battle, it always the best. So Clint and Scott are under house arrest. That makes sense for Scott, since his movie is next and it can't be set after this movie, so he needs to have a legit reason for being elsewhere during the fighting. But you know Clint is going to show up in the next movie. Jeremy Renner said he was in the movie. I mean, the man broke or fractured both of his arms while filming. That wouldn't happen if he was doing a little cameo. I continue to love Stephen's Cloak of Levitation. It's like a puppy dog that follows him around and has his best interests at heart. I actually gasped when it seemed like Thanos had ripped it. Speaking of best friends, Ned's distraction on the bus was the best. It's so great that Peter has someone who has his back. I'm a little bummed that Peter didn't get to fight with the other Avengers. Did anyone else think that Benedict Cumberbatch's American accent sounded a little better this time around? It didn't grate on my nerves like last time. They also did a tad more with his magic powers. Like, he and Wong use the magic portals a bit more and there's that trippy moment when Stephen splits into multiple Doctor Stranges. More power combos would have been nice. I don't think we really got those. I got the feeling that Sam and Rhodey are good friends, even though they barely shared in screen time in Captain America: Civil War. I guess it would stem from the fact that they both have flight backgrounds. I was surprised to see Peter Dinklage in the movie. They didn't hype his appearance beforehand, but I guess they would want to keep a few things as a surprise. Also a surprise: Red Skull. It's so cool that they picked up a dangling thread from the first Captain America movie. I always thought that he didn't die, that he just got teleported to one of the nine realms. Hey, are they going to show Tony and Pepper's wedding in the next movie? That would be a fun thing to end on. Unless Tony ends up dying for good. Damn, I wouldn't put it past them.
Man, there's so much to absorb and unpack with this movie. No wonder people are seeing it multiple times. I think I will have to go again just to catch all of the things I missed the first time.